The present invention relates to a device used for temporarily repairing a damaged rubber-band track of a vehicle and which allows the vehicle to proceed on its own to the nearest maintenance site or to a convenient location where the replacement or permanent repair of the track can be undertaken. A method for temporarily repairing a damaged rubber-band track is also disclosed.
Many modern tanks and other military vehicles, as well as some off-highway utility vehicles, are supported on the ground by a set of tracks made of a strong composite material and provided as endless bands. Rubber-band tracks have many advantages over their conventional metallic counterparts. For instance, they are less noisy, they generate less vibration and require less maintenance since they are not an assembly of a plurality of parts. Rubber-band tracks are less likely to cause damages to roads or structures on which they travel, when compared to conventional metallic tracks. However, a rubber-band track can rupture or be otherwise damaged due to a defect in the material, wear or fatigue. A track may also be damaged by an object on which it travels. In the case of a military vehicle, a track may be damaged by a mine, a nearby explosion or a projectile. In all instances, the affected vehicle is likely to be useless unless a repair is done in the field, even if no section of the track is missing or if the track is not extensively damaged.
A replacement in the field of a damaged track with a new one is not always possible, especially if the damage occurred in a hostile territory or in a location which is difficult to access. Yet, some military tanks can weight 60 tons or more. Replacing a track on such vehicles requires the presence of heavy lifting equipments that will have to be dispatched wherever the vehicle is located.
There is thus a need to have a field-repair device and a corresponding method for temporarily but suitably repairing a ruptured or otherwise damaged rubber-band track without interfering with the driving system of the track so that the vehicle can proceed on its own to the nearest maintenance site or to a convenient location where replacement or permanent repair of the track can be undertaken.
There is also a need for a device and a corresponding method for temporarily repairing a ruptured or otherwise damaged track without having to puncture the belting of the track between the exterior and interior side thereof.
The object of the present invention is to fulfill the above-identified needs and to allow a ruptured or otherwise damaged track to be temporarily repaired where the vehicle is located.
More particularly, the present invention provides a device for temporarily repairing a damaged rubber-band track, the track extending in a longitudinal direction and having an exterior ground-engaging side and an interior side. The device is characterized in that it comprises:
a plurality of spaced-apart and parallel support members, each support member having two ends and being to be transversely disposed on the exterior side of the track with reference to the longitudinal direction;
a plurality of linking members, each respectively extending parallel to the longitudinal direction between corresponding ends of two adjacent support members;
first means for pivotally connecting each linking member to the corresponding ends of two respective and adjacent support members;
a plurality of track retention members, each connected to a corresponding end of a respective support member and projecting inwardly to define a track retention space; and
second means for positively securing the damaged region of the track to the device.
The present invention also provides a method for temporarily repairing a damaged rubber-band track, the track extending in a longitudinal direction and having an exterior ground-engaging side and an interior side. The method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of:
a) positioning a repair device on the exterior side of the track and with reference to a damaged region thereof; and
b) securing the device to the track.